Bottle washing machine



M ay 1, 1951 A. E. LADEWIG BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 21, 1947 May 1, 1951 A. E. LADEWIG BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1947 MN mm IN V EN TOR.

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Patented May 1, 1951 BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Archie E. Ladewig, Waukesha, Wis, assignor to Archie Ladewig 00., Waukesha, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application July 21, 1947, Serial No. 762,335

3 Claims.

' provements in the art of cleansing receptacles preparatory to filling the same with commodity, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of machines for Washing and rinsing bottles, jars or similar containers.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved bottle washing machine which is simple and compact in construction, and which is also highly efficient and sanitary in operation.

The automatic bottle washers at present in most extensive commercial use, are of two general types known to the trade as single and double end machines. In single end machines, the dirty receptacles are admitted to and the clean bottles or jars are delivered from the same end of the assemblage; whereas in the double end machines the dirty receptacles are delivered to one end and the clean bottles or jars are discharged from the opposite end of the assemblage remote from the loading zone. The admission of dirty bottles, jars and other receptacles to such washing 7 machines is invariably accompanied by considerable filth which makes it desirable for sanitary reasons, to deliver the clean receptacles as far as possible away from the filth infested loading zone, and some public health agencies have therefore barred the use of the single end assemblages. The prior double end machines while meeting sanitary require- 7 ments, are however so bulky, heavy and costly, as to prohibit their installation and use in many small and medium size plants, thus leaving such institutions. without automatic bottle washing facilities when subject to stringent health and sanitary regulations.

It is therefore an important object of my present invention to provide an improved automatic double end bottle washin and rinsing assemblage of large capacity, which may be installed 'in limited or restricted quarters, and acquired and operated at minimum cost, so as to comply with all public health and sanitary requirements.

The prior double end bottle washers besides being extremely costly and bulky, also embodied These previous machines ordi-v 2 a considerable period of time, and the heated bottles would dry very quickly during each such transfer, thus losing considerable of the soaking effect.

It is therefore another important object of the present invention to provide an improved bottle washer embodying more efiicient receptacle soakin facilities, and wherein the bottles are thoroughly and most effectively soaked in a single extensive and continuous basin of treating liquid.

Because of the use of several soaking tanks into and from which the bottles were transferred in succession along substantially upright paths, the prior soaker type Washers would also permit free upward escape of hot vapors from the soaking basins, and it was also impossible to carry high temperatures in the soaking solutions because the alternate entry and exit of the glass containers would result in considerable bottle breakage due to sudden extreme and frequent temperature variations to which they were subjected.

It is therefore a further important object of my invention to provide an improved bottle soaker tank for receptacle washing machines, which will eliminate undesirable escape of hot vapor, and wherein considerably higher temperatures may be maintained than was heretofore possible, without danger of bottle breakage, thus making more efficient soaking possible.

Still another object of my invention is to pro vide an improved bottle washing assemblage wherein the clean bottles are effectively protected against exposure to hot caustic or other fumes which might detrimentally affect their cleanliness, by virtue of the fact that the soaking tank is thoroughly segregated from the final washing and rinsing zones.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide improved instrumentalities for most effectively loading and actuating a bottle washing assemblage with minimum attention, so that bottles may be supplied in abundance and en masse to the loading zone by a single individual a These and other specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting my present improvement, and of the construction and operation of a typical bottle washer embodying the same, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation of a typical bottle washing assemblage embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged somewhat diagrammatic side view of the loading mechanism of the washer, showing a number of dirty bottles reposing in upright position in the loading zone and the transfer member about to receive a row of these bottles;

Fig- 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing the transfer member and pusher about to deliver a row of the horizontally disposed dirty bottles into an adjacent row of the bottle carriers;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged transverse vertical section through the bottle washer, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1, but also showing the internal bottle cleansers located rearwardly of the plane of the section; and

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary top view of the washer loading zone, with the bottles and other parts disposed as in Fig. 3.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as bein advantageously applicable to a washer especially adapted to automatically arrange bottles in rows, to convey and cleanse the successive rows, and to finally deliver the clean bottles remote from the loading zone, it is not my desire or intention to unnecessarily limit the scope or utility of the improved features by virtue of this limited disclosure, since some of these features are obviously more generally applicable to machines for handling jars, cans, and other receptacles as well as glass bottles.

Referring to the drawings, the typical improved bottle washing machine shown therein, comprises in general a unitary main housing or casing 6 having a dirty bottle loading zone I at its front end and a clean bottle discharge zone 8 at its rear end; and endless series of bottle carriers 8 movable within the casing 6 to transport successive rows of bottles ID from the loading zone l to the discharge zone 8; an intermediate tank I l forming a horizontally elongated soaking liquid basin i2 within the casing 6 between the zones l, B- and having a constricted upper bottle inlet and exit opening i4 near the loading zone i; an endless conveyor i5 having rollers l6- cooperable with fixed guide rails H and with a bottle retainer plate 18 to conduct the bottle laden carriers 9 horizontally back and forth through the liquid basin I2 while causing the bottles ID to remain immersed in the sodaking liquid and to travel first in inverted position and thereafter in upright position for a. prolonged period of time; final bottle cleansing means such as successive sets of liquid spray nozzles l9, I9, 20 disposed above the rear portion of the soaking basin i2 but being segregated therefrom by an upper tank or pan Z2; and' a pair of upper guide rails 23 cooperating with the upper stretch 24 of the conveyor IE to conduct the bottles iii in succession away from the opening 14 past the final cleansers and toward the discharge zone 8.

LII

The unitary main casing 6 is preferably formed of durable sheet metal to provide a rigid structure, and the interior of this casing 6 besides being provided with the soaking tank I l and the cleansing liquid catch pan 22, is also provided with a pre-rinse catch trough 25 and with prerinse nozzles 26 located between the soaking basin II and the bottle loading zone 1. A vapor exhaust pipe or stack 2i is associated with the uppermost portion of the casing 6 directly above the soaking basin inlet and outlet opening [4, and a series of transverse baffles 28 are also provided along the top of this housin 6 near the upper stretch it of the conveyor I5, in order to positively prevent hot vapors which rise from the basin [2, from reaching the final bottle cleansing zone. The spray nozzles 26 are of a well known construction, being adapted to deliver relatively warm pre-rinsing liquid downwardly upon and upwardly against and into the successive rows of dirty bottles it] as they are conveyed in inverted position through the prerinse zone, and the spent pre-rinse liquid gravitates into the trough 25 from which it may be withdrawn in any convenient manner. The soaking liquid basin [2 is maintained filled with relatively hot caustic solution to a level slightly beneath the inlet and outlet openin l4 thereof, and the opening It is of sufiicient size to permit drainage of this solution from the successive rows of soaked bottles is back into the tank II as the bottles are removed; and the retainer plate i8 is formed to maintain the advancing bottles iii within their carriers 9 while these bottles are travelling forwardly in upright position through the soaking solution.

The bottle carriers 9 may be of any suitable construction capable of supporting any selected number of bottles H in regular parallel rows, and may be of any desired length depending upon the selected capacity of the washer. These carriers are mounted for transportation upon the endless chain conveyor I5- which in turn coacts with the guide rails ll, 23, through the anti-friction rollers l6, as shown in Fig. 4, and the conveyor I5 is cooperable with sprockets 29 rotatably journalled in the casing 6 at various localities so as to cause the carriers 9 to travel along a predetermined endless path such as indicated by the dot-anddash lines and the arrows in Fig. 1. The endless conveyor l5 may be intermittently advanced by any suitable driving mechanism preferably applied to the sprocket supporting shaft 30 at the upper rear portion of the casing 6, and the lower or return stretch 32 of the conveyor I5 is guided for advancement of the carriers 9 through the space beneath the basin l2 and above the bottom of the casing 6. It should be noted that the guiding and the advancement of the endless series of carriers 9 is such that the successive rows of bottles l0 after having been pre-rinsed by the spray nozzles 26, are caused to enter and to travel horizontally through the hot liquid in the basin [2 for a considerable period of time, first rearwardly in inverted position near the bottom of the basin [2 and thereafter forwardly in upright position near the top of this basin but while still immersed in the soaking liquid, and this is an important feature of the present invention.

The final bottle cleansing zone which is segregated from the soaking basin [2 and from the constricted exit opening [4, is preferably located within the main casing 6 above the rear portion of the basin 12, in order to reduce the over-all length of the machine to a minimum. The pan 22 is divided by a wall into front and rear sections and the bottom of this upper pan provides a top closure for the major part of the soaking tank I I. Hot caustic washing solution at relatively high temperature but slightly cooler than the initial soaking solution, may be delivered above the front pan section at comparatively high pressure through the nozzles l9, l9 downwardly upon and upwardly against and into the hot pre-rinsed and pre-soaked bottles l delivered in succession from the soaking zone, with the aid of a pump 33. This pump withdraws weak caustic solution from a tank 34 at one side of the casing 63, and this solution is returned to the tank 34 through an opening in the adjacent side wall of the casing 6 as shown in Fig. 4. A similar pump 33 may also be provided for the purpose of delivering fresh washing liquid, from a tank 35 located at the opposite side of the casing 6, through the nozzles 26 and a group of cooperating brushes or liquid injection tubes 36, externally and internally against the bottles Ill above the rear section of the pan 22 from which the spent washing liquid may be returned to the tank 35 through an opening in the adjacent wall of the casing 6, as also illustrated in Fig. 4. Proper temperatures of liquid at the various points of utilization may be maintained with the aid of suitable heating coils or other heating means, in a Well known manner.

The first set of final washing nozzles l9, I9. is disposed relatively near the opening l4 within the initial portion of the final cleansing zone, and is followed by the other set of final washing and rinsing nozzles 20 which cooperate with the vertically reciprocable internal brushes or liquid injection tubes 36 located in the rear portion of this zone. These brushes or spray tubes 36 are mounted in upright position upon transverse liquid supply pipes 31 carried by a vertically reciprocable cradle 33 which is periodically movable with the aid of power actuated arms 39, to cause the tubes 36 to enter and leave the inverted successive bottles I0 while the conveyor I5 is at rest.

The nozzles 20 and liquid injector tubes 36 are supplied with warm fresh water from the tank 35, and the temperature of this cleansing and rinsing liquid may be about the same as that of the initial rinsing or pre-rinse liquid delivered from the nozzles 26. The drainage liquid delivered from the washing and rinsing nozzles l9, I9, 20, 36 drops into the pan 22 from which it may be re-utilized as previously described, in order to conserve on liquid as much as possible; and thebaffies 28 obviously segregate the successive portionspf the final washing zone and prevent foul vapors from the soaking basin [2 from reaching the final cleansing zone.

As previously indicated, the final bottle discharge zone 8 is located at the rear end of the casing 6 as far as possible away from the loading zone 1 which is at the front end of this casing, in order to avoid subjecting the clean bottles to filth and unsanitary conditions, prevailing at the zone I. The delivery of the clean bottles I 0 may be effected with the aid of any suitable type of automatic bottle discharge mechanism, as for instance a cam actuated oscillatory bottle receiving rack M which is intermittently swingable to receive the clean bottles [6 in slightly inclined position and by gravity from the successive carriers 9 and to set the bottles in upright position upon a transversely movable discharge conveyor 4 l, in a well known manner. While such a simple oscillatory rack 40 is satisfactory for the purpose of delivering the rows of clean bottles l0 from the carriers 3, it is preferable to provide some means for accumulating and for automatically arranging the dirty bottles admitted to the loading zone 1, in uniform successive rows, and to thereafter likewise automatically transfer these pre-arranged rows to the successive rows of empty carriers 9 presented at the loading zone.

Such a mechanism is shown in Figs, 1, 2, 3, and 5. and the improved loading device comprises a series of endless slat conveyors42 coacting with sprockets 43 and being separated by parallel upright partitions 44 of different lengths; an oscillatory bottle transfer member or rack 45 swingable about a pivot shaft 46 by an arm 41 secured to an end of the shaft 46, and having bottle receiving ledges 48 and arcuate bottle stop surfaces 49 near its pivoted end; and a bottle pusher bar 50 extending across the rack member 45 and being movable along the upper surface of the swinging portion of the latter when in horizontal position, so as to shove the successive rows of bottles Ill from the rack 45 into the successive adjacent rows of carriers 9.

The space above the conveyors 42 in advance of the partitions 44 is free from obstructions so that the dirty bottles l6 may be set en masse and may accumulate in upright position within this unobstructed area, and as the upper slats of the several conveyors 42 advance toward the washer the mass of circular bottles will engage the front ends of the dividing partitions 44 and the variable length partitions will gradually segregate this mass into separate parallel rows as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

The rack 45 is secured to the pivot shaft 46 which is journalled inbearin'gs 52 secured to the main casing 6 as shown in Fig. 5, and the shaft swinging arm 47 is adapted to be periodically oscillated by means of a bell crank 53 which is swingable upon the upper front sprocket shaft 35 of the main conveyor l5, and is connected to the swinging end of the arm 41 by a rod and spring connection 54 as depicted in Fig, 1. The

bell crank 53 may be actuated in any suitable manner to effect properly timed periodic oscillation of the rack 45 and to swing this rack back and forth as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thereby swinging the successive pre-arranged rows of bottles l6 delivered by the slat conveyors 42 past the partitions 44 and onto the ledges 48, from slightly tilted position into horizontal position in alinement with the adjacent empty horizontally disposed carriers 9. The rack member 45 is also provided with a tranverse recess 55 located between the ledges 48 and the pivot shaft 46, and when the rack is in bottle receiving position as in Fig. 2, the pusher bar 50 is disposed within this recess so as not to interfere with the advancement of the bottles l0 onto the ledges 48.

However, after the rack 45 and the bottles Ill resting thereon have been swung into horizontal position as in Fig. 3, the pusher bar 50 which is secured to opposite end links 56, is movable out of the recess 55 and along the horizontal portion of the rack, by a pair of arms 51, which are attached to the links 56 and are swingably suspended from a transverse rock shaft 58. This rock shaft 58 is oscillatable by means of linkage 59 also associated with the upper front sprocket shaft 30 of the main conveyor l5, by any suitable actuating means, so that the pusher bar 50, will be moved rearwardly to deliver the bottles from the rack 45 into the 7 adjacentcarriers 9, and will thereafter be retracted into the recess 55, in properly timed relation to the operation of the other cooperating mechanisms. The auxiliary slat conveyors 4-2 may be driven from any convenient source of power, but the main conveyor 5' and the bottle loading and unloading mechanisms including the racks 45, 55' are preferably driven by a common electric motor :3 9 connected by a drive 62 to the rear upper shaft Bil, and to mechanisms coacting with the spray tubes 38 and with the front upper shaft 36 in a Well known manner.

During normal operation of the improved automatic bottle washing mechanism, the soaking basin l2 should be constantly supplied with abundan'thot caustic solution, and the various nozzles i9, i9, 29, 26, 35 should likewise be supplied with suitable liquids for performing their several functions. The motor 69 should be operated to actuate the various mechanisms driven thereby, and when the dirty bottles I are deposited en niasse and in upright position upon the slat conveyors 62 in advance of the partitions at at the loading zone 1, they will be automatically arranged in parallel rows by the lcng and short partitions, and will be delivered in uniform transverse row formation against the arcuate stop surfaces d9 of the loading rack 55 while the latter are horizontally disposed as in Fig. 3. The rack members 45 will be subsequently periodically elevated or swung into inclined position as in Fig. 2, whereupon the pre arranged row or" bottles l2 which previously had engaged the stop surfaces 49 will be pushed by the advancing mass of dirty bottles and by the conveyors 42, upon the rack ledges t8 and against the swingable portions of the racks as shown inFig. 2. During such advancement of the bottles ill, the pusher rod 59 will be confined within the recess 55 and will not obstruct the bottle movement.

After a row 01" bottles iii has been thus disposed upon the loading rack 55, th rack will be swung to horizontal position and swing the bottles into alinement with the uppc nost empty row of carriers 9, vhereupon the pusher bar 59 will be moved rearwardly out of the recess 55 and along the rack to slide the horizontal bottles It quickly but gently into the carriers. The bottle laden carriers Q will be subsequently advanced first upwardly and rearwardly, and the bottles v i'l be subjected vhile inverted to initial rinsin by the warm lL,.1id jets delivered from the nozzles 25, after which they will be carried downwardly through the open ng it into the hot caustic soaking basin :2. While entering the basin l2 the bottles 15 are initially filled with liquid, and while travelling immersed within the hot soaking sout on, the bottles is will first travel re'arwardly in one approximately horizontal rection and in inverted liquid filled condition through the lower portion of the basin l2 and will thereafter travel forwardly in the opposite approximately horizontal direction and in upright liquid filled condition through the upper portion of the basin; and upon completion of their forward advancement before they reach the upperconveyor stretch the liquid filled bottles will again be inverted and emptied and removed through the constricted exit opening i l.

The soaked and hot bottles it will then be advanced by the upper conveyor stretch 24 past the foremost bailies 2i and will be presented to the first set of final washing nozzles 59, is which deliver relatively clean and hot caustic sprays against the exteriors and interiors of the receptacles; and this initial washing is promptly followed by final cleansing and rinsing by jets of cooler and clean water delivered against all portio'ns oi the bottles It by the nozzles 20' and spray tubes 36 These spray tubes 36 are automatically injected into the bottle interiors by the cradle 38 while the carriers 9' are at rest, and the finally cleansed bottles will ultimately be delivered froin the machine to the conveyor ll in rapid succession and in relatively cool condition, by the discharge rack All. The successive rows of bottles iii are thus automatically advanced through the various cleansing zones and through the soaking basin 1? within the casing 6 while the temperature thereoi is gradually increased and diminished so as to avoid bottle breakage, and hot caustic vapors escaping from the basin 12 will rise through the stack 2? and will be prevented from reaching the final cleansing zone by the bafiles 28 e 7 From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that this invention provides an efii cient single pass automatic bottle washer, having the loading and discharge zones l, 8 remotely separated, and which is extremely simple and c mpact in construction. The formation and locat n of the improved soaking basin l 2 insures presoaking for a considerable period of time, and also reduce-s bottle breakage to a minimum by avoiding repeated alternate immersion and removal of bottles with respect to desirably hot solution, and the constricted opening I i cooperates with the bafile's 28 to protect the clean bottles it against pollution. The location of the final cleansing zone above the rear portion of the basin l2 saves considerable space and permits reduction in length of the unit tea" minimum; and by utilizing the improved bottle accumulating loading device and the row segregating partitions 44, necessary attendance is also minimized. The reversal of the receptacles within the soaking and the reduction in number of sprockets and chain conveyor length permits the mechanism to be actuated with least power and attention. The improved bottle loading device gently tips the dirty bottles and effectively delivers them to the pockets of the carriers 9, and the entire mechanism has proven highly satisfactory and successful in actual commercial use. 7

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of operation, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art; and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

I claim:

1'. In bottle cleansing unit, a unitary casing, a series of bottle carriers movable along a definite path within said casing, means for delivering bottles into and out of said carriers, means forming a substantially closed horizontally elongated hot soaking liquid basin extending throughout the major lower portion of the interior of said casing and having a con" "ic'ted exit opening, a series of devices r progressively delivering hot and cooler jets of cleansing liquid against the bottles wi an upper portion of said casing above said basin, and means for guiding said carriers and f or initially advancing the confined bottles in inverted position and in one approximately horizontal direction while filled with and immersed in the hot soaking solution and for thereafter advancing the solution filled bottles in upright position in the opposite approximately horizontal direction and for finally removing the bottles through said opening and promptly presenting the same in heated condition to the hottest cleansing liquid jets ofathe series.

2. In a bottle cleansing unit, a unitary casing, a series of bottle carriers movable along a definite path within said casing, means for delivering bottles into and out of said carriers, means forming a substantially closed horizontally elongated hot soaking liquid basin extending throughout the major lower portion of the interior of said casing and having a constricted exit opening near one end, a series of devices for progressively delivering hot and cooler jets of cleansing liquid against the bottles within an upper portion of said casing above said basin, and means for guiding said carriers through said basin and past said devices in succession to initially fill the confined bottles with hot soaking solution and to advance the same in inverted position through the solution in said basin and in one approximately horizontal direction and to thereafter advance the solution filled bottles in upright position in the opposite approximately horizontal direction and to finally remove the bottles through said opening and promptly present the same in heated condition to the hottest and to the progressively cooler cleansing liquid jets of he series.

3. In a bottle cleansing unit, a unitary casing, a series of bottle carriers movable along a definite path within said casing, means for delivering bottles into and out of said carriers, means forming a substantially closed horizontally elongated hot soaking liquid basin extending throughout the major lower portion of the interior of said casing and having a constricted inlet and exit opening 10 near one end, a series of devices near said opening for progressively delivering hot and cooler jets of cleansing liquid against the bottles within an upper portion of said casing above said basin, and means for guiding said carriers through said opening and for initially filling and subsequently advancing the confined bottles in inverted position and in one approximately horizontal direction While immersed in the hot soaking solution and for thereafter advancing the solution filled bottles in upright position in the opposite horizontal direction and for finally emptying and removing the bottles through said opening and promptly'presenting the same in heated condition to the hottest and to the progressively cooler cleansing liquid jets of said series.

' ARCHIE E. LADEWIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 771,408 Bauer Oct. 4, 1904 1,445,359 Scarborough Feb. 13, 1923 1,625,930 Astrom Apr. 26, 1927 1,684,827 Hippenmeyer Sept. 18, 1928 1,749,989 Soelch Mar. 11, 1930 1,761,450 McKechnie June 3, 1930 1,775,003 Soelch Sept. 2, 1930 2,044,193 Trudeau June 16, 1936 2,216,698 Arey Oct. 1, 1940 2,219,007 Dostal Oct. 22, 1940 2,328,050 Bullard Aug. 31, 1943 2,440,419 Trier Apr. 27, 1948 2,500,396 Barker Mar. 14, 1950 

